


However Unlikely

by thelonebamf



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 11:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9232187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelonebamf/pseuds/thelonebamf
Summary: A lifelong dream. Years of studying. The most advanced simulations possible on currently existing technology. And yet as Rex's test date draws near, Hal learns there are some things he is still unprepared for.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seifukughost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seifukughost/gifts).



It really was the final insult, Hal thought as the cafeteria doors eased shut behind him. He’d said nothing when FOXHOUND had shown up at the compound, even though their presence made him uneasy. He’d pretended to understand their measures for increased security, as though the ID card system would somehow fail. And he’d even agreed when every other member of his team was transferred off-site to any number of ArmsTech’s branch labs back in what they’d all jokingly called ‘civilization’.

 

But then they’d taken away the coffee.

 

Not all of the coffee, of course. The soldiers parading around the grounds did of course eat and drink as any men would- but  _ his _ coffee. Without other engineers in his lab, he’d been told there was no justification to keep stocking the almost-constantly-running pot that lived in the far corner. And his efforts to steal packets of instant granules from the main cafeteria were always met with more scrutiny than he felt was truly necessary.

 

Not that he was about to say anything. Not out loud, anyway.

 

So for the foreseeable future, he’d have to make do, walking for several minutes to the caf, pouring two cups full to the brim, and walking back to his office as quickly as he dared so that neither would cool before he made it to his desk. Not an easy task when a line of soldiers was likely to turn the corner, bumping into him without so much as a “Pardon Me.”

 

“Pardon Me…  _ Doctor. _ ”

 

Hal didn’t actually spill anything, which was as near a miracle as he’d ever witnessed. But the silver-haired man before him seemed to have little desire to move out of his way, forcing him to sidestep awkwardly against the wall.

 

“Sorry. In a bit of a rush. Trying to get back to work.” What was the man’s name? Something to do with all the bullets strapped against his chest, Hal remembered. Pistol something?

 

“Of course, of course, Doctor. Lots to do and not a lot of time.”

 

“Ri-right.” Just making his way around the man without bumping into him. “Well if you’ll excuse me.”

 

“No last minute, secret inspections this time, eh. Emmerich?” he called behind Hal who turned just long enough to give him a confused look and shake of the head.

 

“Your team is the one that makes the rules,” he smiled nervously, although he had no idea what could possibly be funny about the situation.

 

His reward was just a cold laugh and knowing nod.

 

“Yes. Yes indeed, we are.”

 

* * *

 

Strange encounter over, Hal made his way back towards his office shuffling around the glass walls and filing cabinets towards his desk, only to find it occupied. At least this man’s name was one he could remember.

 

“L-Liquid?”

 

“Ah, just the man I was looking for,” Liquid chuckled as he turned the office chair to face him, though he made no move to stand. “And you’ve brought drinks! How thoughtful.” 

 

Hal handed over one of the cups without argument, but the slight frown on his face did not go unnoticed.

 

“Cream and sugar? Tsk. Well no matter.”

 

“Is there something I can do for you, um. Sir?”

 

Hal had never been entirely clear on how he was meant to address the members of Foxhound. Wolf seemed more or less content with being referred to as such, or at least she didn’t sneer at him any more than usual. The massive, hulk of a man Hal would have been a fool to call anything besides the black bird emblazoned on his forehead spent much of his time outside, meaning the two rarely met. And as for the eerie looking character in the gas mask… well Hal would never admit to believing in ghosts out loud- but ‘Psycho Mantis’ seemed like a prime ‘Example A’. 

 

Surrounded by such strange characters as they, ‘Liquid Snake’ (although he alone preferred not to go by the animal portion of his codename) was practically normal. 

 

That didn’t mean that Hal appreciated him taking up residence in his office, the last corner of this entire god-forsaken island where he still felt like he belonged. These days, he’d even avoided taking walks to see Rex, no longer feeling the same heady satisfaction that had greeted him countless times before. It was as though the moment Foxhound arrived and began overseeing the test run, the entire project suddenly became more real. It was no longer his ‘baby’, an idea nestled safely in his brain. Rex was- well, a living, breathing thing now. A part of the world.

 

As to what came after…

 

But that was a problem for later. At the moment he had more immediate concerns, namely getting this man out of his chair and his office so he might return to work.

“If it’s alright, S- Liquid, I’d like to-”

 

“Of course. Don’t mind me at all.”

 

“Right. Um.”

 

Liquid still refused to relinquish his seat, didn’t even give Hal the courtesy of looking away as he frantically searched the room for another chair. The entire office was suspiciously absent. 

 

“Sorry this is… strange,” Hal said, setting his cup down by the keyboard. It wasn’t uncommon for the soldiers to move things around, repurposing the practically-empty rooms as they saw fit, though the office equipment was typically safe from their meddling. “Can’t seem to find a chair.”

 

“There’s a chair right here, Doctor.” Liquid smiled just over the lip of his cup as he took a long, slow drink.

 

It hadn’t been many years at all since Hal was the target of schoolboy teasing, but he’d assumed it was behind him now- certainly not something that should have followed him all the way to Alaska. He was the project leader here, for goodness sakes!

 

“Ha. That’s um. A good one. I’ll be right back then.”

 

“Take a seat, Doctor. That’s an order.”

 

There was a sudden sharpness to Liquid’s voice that made Hal freeze. A well organized chain of command was something he had plenty of experience with, though it was typically Baker’s instructions he was meant to follow. Still, it wasn’t as though he was a military man by any stretch of the imagination

 

“Can you- I mean are you supposed to give me… orders? I thought-”

 

“It doesn’t matter one way or another. I am. Take a seat.”

 

Hal’s hands fumbled with the edges of his parka, unsure whether this was all some elaborate prank, or just a test to see whether or not he was capable of following instructions.

 

Better to be shoved on the floor than terminated, he supposed.

 

“There, now isn’t that cozy?” Liquid drawled behind him.

  
  
  
  


Hal said nothing in return, and tried to focus on bringing his workstation back to life and ignore the body heat seeping through his coat. Surprisingly, Liquid allowed him to open up and rifle through several files before speaking again.

 

“And what exactly are you working on now?”

 

“Um.” Hal shifted in his seat, his legs bony and awkward atop Liquid’s well toned thighs. “These are some of the results from the simulations. The scenarios deemed most likely by both the computers and our team.” It was easier, somehow- to ignore his precarious position as long as he kept talking. “I’m trying to compile all the data and… take the average, more or less. That way I can figure out the most likely outcome and prepare for it.”

 

“Not much of a risk taker, are you Doctor?”

 

“Not when there’s millions of dollars in funding and research on the line, no.”

 

Liquid laughed at that, a low grumble that rested in his chest, never leaving his tightly sealed lips. It wasn’t an unpleasant sound, but it did leave Hal with the impression that he’d said something foolish.

 

“So these,” Liquid continued, reaching one arm around Hal’s frame to point at the screen so that his own was pinned against him, “are your ‘likely scenarios’ then? The data points all seem to be more or less in line with one another.”

 

“Uh. Yes, actually.” That was a surprise. Not that Hal assumed all military types to be muscle-bound ignoramuses, but as a rule they tended not to show much interest in the technical side of things, let alone grasp it so quickly.

 

The chair squeaked under its unusual burden as Liquid leaned forward to get a better look at the monitor, his cheek close enough to Hal’s that he could feel his stubble catching against the soldier’s jaw.

 

“And this here?” 

 

The tiny, fluctuating grid in the lower corner of the screen had caught Liquid’s eye, and Hal hurried to hit the keyboard, putting it out of view.

 

“Nothing. Doesn’t matter.”

 

“Doctor Emmerich, I will not tolerate lying while I am in charge of this mission. I asked what it was, not if you thought it was important.”

 

Hal risked a brief glance out the side of his lenses, and found Liquid looking right at him in a way that made his blood run hot and cold at the same time.

 

“That’s the… ‘other stuff’. Junk data. Sort of the opposite of what we’re focusing on.”

 

Liquid leaned back and Hal thought he might let him be once and for all, but instead found an unfamiliar hand covering his own, rough thumb tracing over the bony bumps of his knuckles.

 

“Explain.”

 

Lightheadedness threatened to get the better of him, and Hal had to force himself not to think about the blood rushing to his head, or other places. 

 

“We have a few hand picked scenarios of high probability, but the supercomputers try to predict the outcome for every eventuality, no matter how unlikely.” He took a breath, trying desperately to look only at the images in front of him, and not the man so very close behind.

 

“These are the pigs-flying-in-a-frozen-over-hell situations. Uh, dormant volcano erupting in the middle of launch, Godzilla attack, ninjas.” He let out a single meek squeak of a laugh. “The things that are never going to happen. Not even long shots, but the impossible.”

 

“I see.” 

 

When no questions followed, Hal found himself struggling to focus on actually compiling any of the data, but a single, sharp, ‘ahem’ had him stumbling out of his seat and onto the floor.

 

“Well it looks like all of this is in order, then,” Liquid stood gracefully, taking a moment’s time to straighten the cuffs and lapels of his coat while Hal simply stared up at him. “You’ll come see me later then.”

 

“Huh? I- I will?”

 

“This is all very interesting research, and of highest priority. I expect you to report to my quarters with your findings by 19:00 hours.” In a rare show of sympathy, he reached down to pull the stunned engineer to his feet, brushing off some imagined specks of dust from his shoulder.

 

“Not this mind you, but the other findings. The  _ long shots _ , as you called them. I find it pays to be prepared for every eventuality, not just the most likely.”

 

“Right. Of course.” Strictly speaking, there wasn’t really time for this, but Hal hadn’t made it this far by indulging in arguments that he was unlikely to win. And something in Liquid’s eyes told him the man wouldn’t take no for an answer. “I’ll do that.”

 

“There’s a lesson to be learned, Doctor-” Liquid’s hand flowed gracefully from Hal’s shoulder to just under his chin, tipping his face up just enough so their eyes met- emerald green and trembling silver.

 

“Sometimes, it’s best to expect the impossible.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> And coming in just under the wire it's my second and last supply drop fill! XD Otaliquid is kinda one of those guilty pleasures of mine, so I really wanted to try my hand at writing something for "the other otasune". Thanks to metalzekesolid for giving it a once over. ^^


End file.
